Music Review: OneRepublic "If I Lose Myself"

OneRepublic

If I Lose Myself

Album: Native

Year: 2013

       Ryan Tedder remembers his first love in the faint  “If I Lose Myself.”

        Bleary synths open the single, setting a groggy tone. From his hotel room window, the light of the sun lines his bed and face with thick, golden rays. He walks over the window, looking outside to see the bustling city and the sun above it, commanding attention. He has traveled to several continents, waited in line to view multiple landmarks, and met people along the way who became great friends to him. However, the one person who immediately pops into his mind is his first love. She was the one who believed he could be a well-known photographer, visiting unknown places, teaching people about the world going on around them. (“I stared up at the sun/Thought of all the people, places and things I've loved I stand up just to see/Of all the faces, you are the one next to me.”)

          In the pre-chorus, he didn’t ever think he would lose her. He thought she would be alongside him, searching for places to explore and stories to tell. But reality intervened. She had to stay home to take care of her younger siblings after her parents passed away. He began to question his path in life, wondering if he could still pursue it at all. However, at the wake, she told him it was ok for him to leave. There wasn’t any guilt in wanting to dream. When he is out alone on assignment, he can sometimes hear her feet padding on the floor on the way back to bed. He can see his children pointing at the exotic animals, asking why. (“You can feel the light start to tremble/Washing what you know out to sea/You can see your life out the window, tonight.”)

           In the chorus, as he has his camera out, waiting for the light to get to the right spot, he imagines her arm is linked with his, studying the sky with the same intensity as him. (“If I lose myself tonight.It'll be by your side I lose myself tonight/If I lose myself tonight/It'll be you and I/Lose myself tonight.”)

          The seraphic synths bask in the light with a blank stare during the solo.

          While on the plane back home, he stays up during the flight until the sun rises. He’s thinking of how much she would’ve lovedTokyo. (“I woke up with the sun/Thought of all the people, places and things I've loved/ I woke up just to see/Of all the faces you are the one next to me.”)

     The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again

      The seraphic synths return for another solo.

       In the bridge, their bond is unbreakable. With a million miles between them, they are still connected by their past. (“Take us down and we keep trying/40,000 feet keep flying/Take us down and we keep trying/40,000 feet keep flying/Take us down and we keep trying/40,000 feet keep flying/Take us down and we keep trying/40, 000 feet keep flying/Take us down and we keep trying/ 40, 000 feet keep flying.”)

      Part of the chorus is sung again to close the single.

      Tedder’s hiccupping, jagged vocals reach high but end up knocking over all the other notes, dropping any sense of rhythm onto the floor. However, the pieces are unsalvageable: interchangeable verses that could belong anywhere, a bridge that doesn’t seem to fit and a faded chorus lacking distinction.

        The shapeless “If I Lose Myself” oversimplifies to the point of being nonsensical.